Talk:European Court of Auditors

Five institutions?
One of 'five institutions' of the EU? I always thought there was 5. But in Wikipedia's list of EU Institutions, there are six, and it is this one, the European Court of Auditors, that is the sixth.

The Europa website on the left-side lists seven institutions, adding an 'Ombudsman' and a 'Data Protection Supervisor'. These aren't properly 'institutions', in the same sense as the others.

In the main 'The EU at a Glance' article, Europa says:

"There are five EU institutions, each playing a specific role: — Europa website
 * European Parliament (elected by the peoples of the Member States);
 * Council of the European Union (representing the governments of the Member States);
 * European Commission (driving force and executive body);
 * Court of Justice (ensuring compliance with the law);
 * Court of Auditors (controlling sound and lawful management of the EU budget)."

Notably absent is the European Council.

Can someone more knowledgable than me sort out what are the real institutions of the EU? I feel this is an important issue for Wikipedia to be clear about..


 * I think the answer is that the above list of five institutions is what are listed as institutions in the Maastricht Treaty. Other EU bodies are not "institutions" in the technical meaning of EU law, but they are of course institutions in the everday sense of the term.
 * About the European Council - all the above five institutions have their own staff, budgets, offices, & they all have legal standing to participate in legal proceedings. The European Council has none of these -- it has no staff of its own, nor its own budget, nor its own offices -- it uses those of the Council of the European Union. Nor can it participate in legal proceedings ("sue or be sued"), or sign legally binding agreements (what are called "interinstituional agreements" in EU constitutional law); in other words, it has no legal personality, while the above have. Nor does it have legislative power - the legislative power is exercised by the Council of the European Union. Essentially, its a political body, and a very important political body, but in legal (as opposed to political) terms it is rather irrelevant.
 * Finally, there are some bodies -- e.g. the ECB, EIB, Committee of the Regions, Economic and Social Committee, &c.) -- which aren't institutions (in the Maastricht sense), yet have many of the powers of the institutions (independent staff, budgets, power of independent decision making, ability to make agreements or participate in legal proceedings.) In some ways the distinction between institutions and non-institutions is a bit arbitrary. --SJK 07:11, 28 April 2006 (UTC)


 * Guys, according to the treaties (Art. 13 TEU) there are 7 institutions, namelly:
 * the European Parliament;
 * the European Council;
 * the Council of the European Union (simply called ‘the Council’);
 * the European Commission;
 * the Court of Justice of the European Union;
 * the European Central Bank;
 * the Court of Auditors.
 * Source: Glossary of Summaries--JoaoPillon (talk) 15:22, 25 March 2020 (UTC) <

Difference between the European Council and the Council of the EU
Hi there,

I believe the European Council represents the governments of the member states. Its main function is to determine the overall direction of the EU policy.

The Council of the EU, on the other hand is the main decision making body of the EU. Together with the European Parliament it makes legislation and determines the budget of the EU, signs international agreements, decides on the foreign policy and security policy of the Union, etc.


 * The Council of the European Union is the main decision-making body, but it's the composition that confuses many. There is no single fixed Council. Depending on the agenda at each Council meeting, there will be the appropriate ministers from each member state. For example, if the Council needs to hold a meeting about foreign affairs, then it will be attended by the foreign ministers from each state. The work of the Council as a whole is coordinated by the General Affairs and External Relations Council.


 * The European Council is effectively a 'Council of Leaders' - the presidents and prime ministers of member states, together with the President of the European Commission. The meeting is presided over by the head of state or government from whichever country holds the EU Presidency. The European Council can be considered as a meeting similar to the ones for each of the ministries but with the representatives possessing the authority to discuss any matter. 82.13.40.159 00:22, 15 January 2006 (UTC)


 * Here's my take -- the Council of the European Union is an institution (it has a secretariat, it has a budget, it can sue and be sued in the ECJ, it can make interinstitutional agreements.) It is wrong to say its membership is the government ministers -- its membership is the governments of the member states, represented by their ministers. The European Council is not an institution, its just a regularly held meeting. The European Council does not have any legal powers - rather its decisions are implemented by the Council of the European Union (which is the institution having the legal authority.) Of course, as a matter of political reality, it could be said the European Council has the powers, but in terms of legal technicality the Council of the EU does. --SJK 07:11, 28 April 2006 (UTC)

Recent Reports
For eleven years in a row the European Court of auditors has refused to sign off th EU accounts stating that they can not verify the location of 65% of EU funds although independant finacial experts place the figure at 93.4%. A large amount of the endemic fraud in the EU comes from CAP with funds dissapering in the Balkans and Russia.The court suggested that EU staff were abusing the disability system on a large scale, costing taxpayers £54 million a year. Half the claimants had psychological or stress-related complaints. A court official said: "These are not coal miners or deep-sea fishermen. It's not normal for so many to retire for ill-health."
 * What is the CAP? In what respect are 54 million GBP a large sum? It surely isn't two thirds of the EC annual budget. Why is the number in GBP and not in EUR? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 129.13.72.153 (talk) 12:55, 29 January 2007 (UTC).
 * Russia is not part of the EU and does not receive CAP payments. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 79.154.85.200 (talk) 08:39, 13 July 2009 (UTC)

Marta Andreasen
I'm adding MA and rewording the "Criticism" section. She is controversial but certainly notable in this article.Red Hurley (talk) 12:45, 22 September 2009 (UTC)

Suggested update of the criticism - declaration of assurance section.
This section seems a little dated and somewhat apologetic - I don't think it was written by audit fans. Any backers for a bit of an update? Thanks, BrekekekexKoaxKoax (talk) 03:59, 22 December 2010 (UTC)

External links modified
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